The present invention relates generally to the field of data representation and more specifically to the construction and display of information items.
The so-called xe2x80x9cinformation agexe2x80x9d is characterized in that information users are being presented with ever-increasing volumes of information. The presentation format of such information should ideally allow an information user quickly to assess the relevance of a large number of information items, and then efficiently to access information items that are deemed to the relevance and interest. The broader acceptance of the Internet, specifically the World Wide Web, as an information source has dramatically increased the volume of information that is available to an information user. Information retrieval from this vast source is often facilitated through a search engine, which may present a large number of information items to a user. Further, once a user has access to a particular web site, navigation of the various web pages and other information resources that constitute the web site may be confusing and disorientating. Specifically, the structure of a web site is typically hierarchical, and a user may become disoriented or xe2x80x9clostxe2x80x9d within the web site.
Navigation of hierarchical information may also be required in a number of other instances on an everyday basis by a computer user. For example, navigation of file directories for data files and programs stored on a local or remote storage medium is a daily activity for most computer users. Hierarchical information is also typically used to represent the structures of organizations or genealogies.
A number of techniques and methodologies have been designed for the presentation and manipulation of data from discrete sites. For example, operating systems include file directory manipulation and navigation facilities and a system has been developed for management of a web site. Also, database management and query tools have offered the user the ability to define relationships between fields of the data items and to run queries on the specific database. However, these techniques and methodologies have not allowed the user to make connections between a number of data sources, query the direct sources at one time, or move easily from one level of data to the next.
Users often need to incorporate information from a number of sources. In one method, users must independently gather the information and incorporate the information by hand. However, information may be easily missed and the process is time consuming and expensive. In addition, this method has not allowed the user the ability to tie-in various discrete components of different types of data and process the collected data together.
A method and system for manipulating a data structure are described. In one embodiment, a data structure is accessed, the data structure comprising a number of nodes. A project is accessed, the project comprises one sub-structure, the sub-structure comprising a sub-set the nodes and a relationship defined between the nodes of the subset. In addition, a number of query results is created using the sub-structure and a data structure, and a layout and the number of query results are sent to a client.